In recent times, mobile devices, such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), cell phones, etc., have gained wide recognition and acceptance. A user typically carries the mobile device throughout the performance of his daily routines (e.g., travel to/from work). Accordingly, a housing for the mobile device is rugged to protect inner electronics from damage. Such damage may result from everyday wear and/or dropping/mishandling the device. However, conventional methods of increasing a strength of the housing typically necessitate increasing a volume of the housing, leading to negative effects of reducing a space available for encasing the electronics and increasing an overall size of the housing which decreases/hinders portability.
The mobile device is generally assembled by enclosing the inner electronics, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU) board, display, keyboard, and internal wiring, within the housing. The housing normally includes an upper portion and a lower portion, where large sections of the upper portion are removed in order to allow users to access the display and/or keyboard. However, removal of the large sections results in a significant loss of structural rigidity. As such, the mobile device is more susceptible to damage.
Another problem inherent in assembly of the mobile device relates to durability of a touch panel included therein. FIGS. 1a and 1b illustrate conventional integrations of the touch panel and the housing. As shown in FIG. 1a, a touch panel 110 rests on top of two short ledges 113a and 113b extending from a housing 112. In FIG. 1b a touch panel 116 is affixed to an underside of a housing 118. In each integration, only a small portion (e.g., an outer edge) of the touch panel is affixed to the housing. Due to a lack of support and a continual intermittent pressure exerted upon the touch panel in everyday usage, the touch panel may become dislodged, wear, bend or crack.